


Conversations in the Dark

by JeanjacketCarf



Category: Siren (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Post 1x07
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 09:36:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14541852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeanjacketCarf/pseuds/JeanjacketCarf
Summary: Maddie and Ben share a moment and discuss the state of their relationship with Ryn.





	Conversations in the Dark

It was probably the wrong time to bring it up which meant it was exactly the time to bring it up. When it was quiet, the windows open and the only sounds the distant squacks of seagulls, the waves lapping against the sides and bottom of the house. The two of them slick with sweat and still breathing hard.

Maddie rolled over onto her stomach, entwining their legs as she nuzzles into his chest, humming softly. Absently, Ben let his hand come up and trace a pattern on her shoulder.

“Are we going to talk about it?”

“What?” Her voice was distant, sleepy.

He drew spirals down her shoulder blade, fingers going in search of a tatoo on her mid back. He’d never been adventurous enough to get one himself.

“She kissed you. She kissed me.”

Maddie abruptly leveraged herself up on her elbows and looked at him.

“It doesn’t mean what you think. She probably doesn’t know what it means. We kiss hello and goodbye. That’s what she means to say and it’s easier than words.”

“She hasn’t kissed Helen.”

“That we know of.”

Ben frowned.

“I think she would tell us.”

“I don’t know what Helen would and would not tell us. She doesn’t want us to study them. SHe wants them to leave.”

Ben considered this for a second.

“I don’t think Ryn really trusts her either.”

Maddie shrugged and rolled back onto her back.

“So maybe that’s why.”

“Come on, Maddie. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel anything.”

“It doesn’t matter what I felt. It can’t just be what I want it to be. It has to be what it is. Otherwise, it’s just confirmation bias.”

“So what did you feel?”

Maddie crossed her arms and stared pointedly at the ceiling.

Outside, the cicadas and grasshoppers began their chorus. Ben watched her for a moment.

“You want to know what I felt? I liked that she was kissing me. I wanted her to keep kissing me,” he paused, reaching out to touch her stacked hands. Maybe they shouldn’t have had this conversation naked, it was distracting. “I liked that you were watching.”

Maddie glanced at him, something like a smile quirked in the corner of her mouth.

“And you’re sure that’s not because she bewitched you?”

Ben smirked. “What are you jealous?”

She rolled over to face him finally.

“Jealous of the thing that Ryn and Donna used to lure Decker and Chris to their deaths. I don’t think so.”

Ben nodded, the humor creeping out of him. If he was being honest he didn’t know how to feel about it. Didn’t know if he really could feel anything about it other than the thrill that had gone through him to hear the song again and how much he wanted to hear it even just one more time.

“I still feel like I messed up. With Decker and out there on that boat.”

“You were trying your best. Decker might have been able to call the trawler back and you didn’t know what would happen with the boat. You only wanted to stop it.”

“But Decker couldn’t and I let Xander go along with his crazy plan to catch one. Now Sean is dead and I’ll never be able to convince Xan that we have to help them not fight them. I should have just let Donna do what she wanted.”

Maddie shifted closer, her expression almost unreadable in the darkness. He was drawn to her eyes. Eyes that always seemed to see more than he did.

“I still think you did the right thing. Decker deserves to rot for what he did but I couldn’t stand there and watch him die anymore than you could.”

Ben took her hand and held it in both of his own. Feeling her knuckles beneath his thumbs. He let his eyes close partly from exhaustion and partly because of the gnawing guilt in his chest. He’d spent the whole evening soaking in the essence of her, comforting even as his mind ran again and again to Ryn.

“But the people who should be locking him up are the ones who are paying him. Are we being naive? I mean, how can we place a human morality on an entirely new species when even our own government doesn’t follow a code of ethics?”

“Hey, hey.” She spoke softly coaxing his eyes open to look at her again. She slipped her hand out of his grip and placed it across his cheek. “I don’t know. The world is crazy, people are cruel. It’s always been like that. You don’t need to tell me. But we can’t ever fix anything if we keep playing by their rules. We have to be better than that. I understand why Ryn was upset but you have nothing to apologize for.”

Ben turned his face into her hand and kissed her palm.

“Tell me the truth. Do you love her?”

She didn’t see surprised even though he was abruptly changing the subject.

“I feel… as if I could. But I don’t know if I can even trust those feelings. And I don’t know if they’re right. If loving her would be the best thing to do.”

He smiled at her, a little sadly.

“We’re crazy, aren’t we?”

Maddie laughed. 

“Yeah, totally.”

She kissed him deeply and they found themselves in each other's arms again.

The waves splashed a little harder against the dock and the wind picked up. A haunting song played across the water.


End file.
